Steering wheel and ignition lock



March 6, 1928.

W. P. SEN

STEERING WHEEL AND IGNITION LOCK Fled Oct. 24.

Patented Mar. 6, 1928.

rgsmwe, or wrnmnr'rndrrnmors.

eme w nter, AND IGNITION Locx.

Application net-mam, 1921. Serial 10.409 56;

1 This invention relates to combined lock for the steering 'wheelt'and ignition system a of an automobile although ofcourse,.it may have a more general application iwhenever The principal object ofthe invention is to insurefthat the ordinary breakingof the ignition circuit will necessitate :the disengagement of the steering wheel from the steering post. A furtherobject ofth'e invention is to provide ignitionulocking means in connection lwith a locked steering .wheel which i will insure that the ywheel must "be connected to the steeringpost in'an authorized manner before thefordi'naryignition circuit connections can I the! :made/i Other objects will appear hereinafterr In the accompanying \drawings,-Fig. J1 is a view partly: in section of a steering wheel andignition lock control constructed in accordance ,with the" principles of this invennon; Fig. 2 is a plan viewfof'the lock; Fig.

3; is a plan viewillustrtting the contact ringsfand Figr' l isa diagrammatic view of the circuits controlled;

Many automobiles arexstolen, not because it they have no locking devices, but because the owner has failed to use the theft preventing means which hehas. j-Th'e present invention "is" particularly 'designed and intended to insnre tha't whenever a driver stops his car in the ordinary manner, that action of tself will cause him tolocli the steering wheel so that'it cannot be "used in'guiding the car; The locking of the ignition circuit alone is with locking notches 8 oft he hub the locking bolt being controlled by a key;

operated lock 9' accessible through the cover 6. The turningof a vkey in the lock operates the bolt into and out of engagement with the notches 8 of the hub member, thus conncctit from the hub. member.

connected from the hub member thesteering l ing the steering wheel to,.or'.disconnecting wheel will rotate'freely uponthcfhub mem her, but it cannotbe removed therefrom without removing the ca 6. a a -t Attached to and mova 1e with, the locking tported by brackets 11 at oneiside of the locking bolt and having spring 12between When it is disbolt is an insulated contact memb'enlO supthe brackets which tends to press the con tact member downwardly through an open- 111g 13 in the bottom of the cup 3;

surrounds the steering post, or it may be Directly below the steering wheel is a casmg 14 which is supported in a stationary position from the steering column which supported from a housing 15 sometimes provided at the upper-end of the steeringcolumn. Ontop of the casing are contact rings 16 and 17 spaced from'each otherand from jthef top ofthe-casing by insulation 18" and not sufficient, as" almost any clever thief can substitute circuit connections by simply lifting the hood of anautomobile which will enable him" to "operate the car: even though the "ignition "switch, l board; is locked; Thusin effect the locking of thesteering wheel in the present invention is dependent upon the-starting of -th'e ear; and the same lock 1 which controls the ignition circuit also controlsithe locking of "the steering wheel;

r A steering? wheel having; a rim 1 and radiating spokes 2 is provided at its center with a cup member 3 in which is a hub member 4 secured to a post 5 and upon which the wheel turns freely. Extending over the top of the cup member Sandoval 'theend of theshaft 5'is a cap 6 secured to the cup and forming Ya receptacle forfa locking bolt 7 secured in thereceptacle and adapted to co-operate "usually on the dash formediat their adjacent edges with a groove w adapted tobe engaged by the projecting tip of the contact member 10 fso that wh'enthe locking" bolt 7 is moved inwardly to engage either one of the notches 8,, the contact memher 10will be disposedin-the groove andwill electrically connect the two contact rings 16 and 17. When the locking bolt is withdrawn, the contact member 10 is moved outwardly engaging only the outermost ring.

Within the casing 14 is an ignition switch y 1-9:Tofthe snap switch varietyhaving push buttons 20 and 21,115 represented diagrammatically-in Fight to close a circuit either i from amagneto'22 or from a battery 23,

there being no open or intermediatei position of the switch; One side of the battery or of the magneto is grounded and the switch has a common connection with one of the rings 17 through an ear 2 1, the other contact ring 16being connectedto a distributor 25 and thence through anyone of the sparkplugs 26 to the engine ground 27 It will be scent-hat acircuit lcannot be completed through the contact rings 16and 17 either from: the magneto 22 or from-the change the connection from the magneto to.

battery or vice versa, and toopen the circuit to the distributor the locking bolt 7 which carries the contact member--10 ll'lllSl'wl'lQ moved out of engagement with the hub member -l. This insures that in order to stop the engine in the ordinary manner, the steering wheel must be locked out of engagement withthe steering post. This will prevent an unauthorized person from guiding the car even though he is able to complete the necessary electrical circuit in an umluthorized manner.

I claim:

i 1. The combination with a steering shaft, of a relatively rotatable steering -wheel therefor and an ignition circuit with a transversely movable contact, and a common #means carried by the steering-wheel for controlling the relative movement of thewheel and shaft and "the movement of the contact of the said circuit.

2. The combination with a lockable steering wheel and a shaft upon= whichit is relatively rotatable, of an ignition circuit having a laterally movable contact closing-means carried by the wheel, and a common means carried by the wheel forcontrolling both'the locking of the wheel to the shaft and the movable means of the ignition circuit.

' 3.The combination with an independently rotatable steering wheel, of an ignition circuit having a portion carried by the wheel, and a common locking means carried by the 'wheel for controlling both the wheel and the circuit, the ignition circuit including a fixed circular contact and a slidable and transversely movable contact -member therefor carried by the wheel.

. 4.1a combination, a freely rotatable steeringwheel-andan ignition circuit, the ignition circuit comprising a continuous circular contact member and a transversely movable slidable contact therefor, one of which is carried by the wheel, and means for locking the-wheel and moving the contact of the circuit simultaneously.

5. A rotatable steering wheel in combination-with an ignition circuit, the ignition circuit comprising continuous circular contact members and a movable sliding contact adapted to engage them. one ofthe said circuit parts beingcarried by the wheel, and means for locking the wheel and moving the contact to control the circuit at the same time.

6. The combination with a rotatable steering wheel adapted to be locked in connection with a shaft, of a lockable ignition circuit comprising adjacent ring contacts and a slidable member also transversely movable for engagingthem simultaneously one of able member carried by the wheel for engaging them at. the same time, and a common locking means for controlling theoperation of the wheel and. for operating the movable member for closing circuit connections between the wing contact members.

8.'-The combination with an automobile steering wheel, of an electrical circuit having a' ring contact member arranged adjacent :the wheel and a transversely movable andsliding contact member carried by the wheel'for engaging the ring contachiand -means-carried by the wheel for controlling circuit connections between the ring and sliding contact members by relative sliding movement thereof.

9. The combination with a steering-post, of a steering wheet adapted to befrcely rotatcd thereon, an electrical circuit including fixed circular ring contacts and a transversely movable sliding contact carried bythe wheel, means for locking the wheel to the post and means in connectionwith the wheel locking means for simultaneously controlling the electrical circuit byxmovingthe sliding contact transversely into and outot engagement with the ring contacts.

10. The combinationwith a steering-post and a lockable steering wheelfreely rotatable thereon, ofmeans forlocking the wheel to thepost, an eleetricalz'cireuit comprising contact ringszdisposedadjacent the steering wheel, and 'means' carried by the 'wheel .in connection with the lockingmeans ,andineluding a transversely movable contact member to engage the ringsfor controlling the circuit connection between the ringsat the same time the steering wheel is engaged or disengaged from the post.

11. A steering wheel and a post on which it is rotatable,-movable locking means for connecting thewheel to therpost, a cont-rob ling circuit including a pair of insulatedaand spacedring conductors carried by the post, and means in connection withthe locking membenand carried by the wheel to makea continuous sliding connection between the conductors depending upon the position of the locking member.

12. Automobile controlling means comprising a steering postand a lockablcwheel,

III

members only when the wheel is locked in connectionwith the post. i p

. 13. The combination with a steering post and a lockable wheel therefor, of a controlling circuit including a pair of contact rings disposed below the wheel, the rings being insulated and spaced apart, a lock comprising a movable bolt for connecting thewheel to the steering post, and a spring pressed contact member and transversely movable for engaging both contact rings to make connection between them when the wheel is locked to the post; 7

14. The combination with a rotatable steering wheel, of a control circuitincluding a pair of spaced and insulated contact rings disposed adjacent but separate from the wheel, and means carried by the wheel and movable laterally to make and break connections between the contact rings.

15. The combination with a lockable steeringuwheel, of a controlling circuit includ-- in a' double source of current supply, a pair of contact rings, means connecting either one but. not both of the sources of supply to one of the rings, and a common a device for locking the steering wheel and for making connection between the rings when the wheelis locked. c

16. The combination with a steering post and a lockable. steering wheel, of a control circuit including a pair of Contact rings, a doublev source of current supply, a snap switch for connecting either one but not both sources at the same time to one of the rings,

and means carried by the wheel to connect the wheel to the post and to electrically con nect the contact rin s.

17'. The combination with a steering post I and a steering wheel, of an electrical circuit including a pair of fixed circular contact members arranged adjacent the steering 'wheel and a movable contact member car ried by the wheel for enga ement therewith,

and a single key operate .device for controlling the connection of thewheel to the post and for operating the contact member to make the electrical connection between connection between the contact membersto insure that the wheel is disconnected from the post when the electrical circuit between the contact members is broken.

19. The combination with a lockable steering wheel, of a control circuit including fixed ring contacts and a movable sliding contact maker therefor, and a single key operated means for the wheel and thecir: c

cuit to move the contact maker transversely out 0t sliding engagement with one of the rings to insure that thewheel is unlocked.

as soon as the circuit is open.

WENDELIN P. SENG. 

